This invention relates to interactive computer and video games and to screen savers.
In interactive computer and video games, the user employs various input devices to control animated characters on a video screen, to influence their behavior, and to attempt to achieve the objectives posed by the game. There are many examples and forms of such games, which are distributed either as software permitting playing of the game on a personal computer or as combined software/hardware video game devices. These include arcade and Nintendo-style games, combat and flight simulation games, adventure games, sports strategy games, and others.
The characters in these games are specified at the time the game is developed. A single application program is used to define each game, which can include the option for playing the game with single or multiple characters controlled by one or more users. Some games allow new visual elements or game scenarios to be added to a preexisting game. This is the case with SimCity (which adds new cities and graphics) or with Microsoft Flight Simulator (which adds new airplanes and terrains). These additions are implemented by adding new data that are then acted upon by the preexisting program logic of the game.
In a somewhat related area, some screen savers, which provide a changing display for an inactive computer screen, permit user interaction to select combinations of display items to be presented whenever the screen saver is invoked.